Prelude - Voices
by 13Bishop
Summary: Voices one shots! Just a random collection of stories that will lead up to Jane ending up where she was at the beginning of Voices.
1. Chapter 1

**PLEASE READ! These are one shots. Some may be consecutive but don't expect it of all of them. I know I promised a conclusion to The Cache but I'm just going to be honest and say the end of Season 4 just disappointed the hell out of me so I needed to do this first. Also, it's zombie awareness month. Wear your gray! There is going to be gore, probably a little bad language and general mayhem! Let me know if you like it. :)**

The voice that answered her was crisp and full of authority. "Good morning Dr. Isles, this is Dr. Mastin of the Center for Disease Control. We have a situation..."

R&I

Maura pulled up to Massachusetts General less than an hour later. Dr. Mastin was walking toward her, holding out his hand in greeting. "Thank you for coming in so quickly."

"You made it sound serious enough." She looked toward the two men flanking the doctor but they made no move to introduce themselves.

"I'm not sure how close an eye you keep on the epidemiology reports that have been released recently, but there is a problem."

"I stay on top of all the newest material Dr. Mastin." She was led toward a bank of elevators. "From what I've read there's a new strain of flu in Asia, but nothing that's reached the U.S."

He nodded, stabbing at the buttons on the elevator, "That report was misleading and highly redacted. It's not a strain of flu at all."

Maura turned to look at the man. "Then what is it?"

The doors closed in front of them. "We don't know."

The elevator let them out on a quiet floor in an isolated part of the hospital. She knew what it was. Quarantine. It was empty except for one room, and it was at that window they stopped. Inside two more doctors in full Hazmat were poking and prodding a prone figure on the bed. "I'm still not sure why I'm here Dr. Mastin. I'm the Medical Examiner, this patient is alive."

"He'll be dead within the hour Dr. Isles, and we're afraid he won't be the first case."

R&I

Dr. Mastin coutinued his story in a borrowed office off the quarantine ward, with his escorts standing sentinel at the door. "Cases have been popping up all over the world in such a random fashion it's been impossible to pin down. I don't have to tell you that even with the WHO monitoring, some countries' medical situations aren't exactly stellar."

Maura nodded and let him continue. "The CDC has been monitoring the situation closely, but we still don't have many answers."

"What can you tell me Dr. Mastin? I will, of course, perform the autopsy, but I'd like to know what I'm looking for."

He was shaking his head, "No autopsy Dr. Isles. You're being offered this as a professional courtesy, every Medical Examiner in the country is getting this same information. In fact a general alert will be released at 0800 this morning."

"I don't understand why you won't allow an autopsy. It's standard procedure. There is little chance of contamination with full Hazmat."

"I understand but there is one problem that we haven't spoken about."

"And that is?"

"They're not bite proof."

R&I

At 0600 Eastern Time, patient R6347 passed away with barely a gasp, and Dr. Mastin ordered the two doctors out of the room. Maura watched the flatlines on his heart monitor, still in disbelief at what she'd been told. The patient had been restrained and Mastin's two escorts entered the room cautiously.

"This body will be destroyed but the genie is out of the bottle Dr. Isles. Most people will just think they have the flu until it's too late. There's simply no way to know how many might be carrying this disease, how many are already showing symptoms. Despite all the beliefs to the contrary, we don't know where every citizen has been and what they've been up to. All we can do is try to contain it and warn the public."

Maura's hands were shaking as the body on the hospital bed started to move, opening it's now milky eyes. As soon as it saw the two men in the room, it's teeth started to snap. One of them drew a silenced pistol. The sure impossibility of what she was seeing rocked the ME to her core.

Mastin took her arm before the final act was finished, leading her away from the room and toward the elevators. "I'll be briefing local law enforcement, along with all other agencies in the city this morning after the general alert has been issued. A public announcement will be issued by this afternoon."

"That will almost certainly cause a panic."

"The National Guard is already on call to deal with any problems that might arise."

"This will cause paranoia on a level I don't think you understand."

"The CDC is setting up treatment centers, and checkpoints all across the city, along with volunteer groups from the Red Cross. Any person who wants to be evaluated will be, free of charge."

They weren't prepared for what was going to happen. "I need to prepare my staff, if you'll excuse me."

"By all means Dr. Isles." He reached out and grabbed her arm again. "Please be discrete until after the announcement has been made."

She removed her arm from his grip, and turned fully. "I will do what is necessary to protect my staff, Dr. Mastin. Which means full disclosure of the information at hand. If what you say is true, all first responders are at risk, and I hope you'll remember that when you issue your general alert."

Behind her the elevator announced it's arrival and she entered it, pressing the button that would take her back to the ground floor. The doors closed on his slightly stunned face.

R&I

Maura sat numbly in her car staring at the steering wheel in disbelief. Surely she would wake up at any moment with nothing more than a cup of coffee and Bass awaiting her. She also knew that wasn't true, and her mind was violently trying to process exactly what she'd seen and heard. Scientifically it was ridiculous, dead was dead. It always had been, but apparently now it wouldn't always be. Not anymore.

Science it seemed, was now failing her. Her ringtone blared out, jarring her out of the twisted reality she was sending herself into and she scrambled for it. Jane's face flashed on the screen, and relief coursed through her system, if only for a moment. "Jane."

"Maura, where are you? We've got a case, multiple gunshot wounds."

"I'm..." She stopped for a moment to clear her thoughts. "Mass Gen, I got a call earlier."

"Mass Gen? Are you all right?"

She couldn't lie. "No, I'm not. Jane..."

"I'm on my way." Maura could almost feel the woman starting to hang up.

"Jane wait! Just stay where you are. Physically I'm fine but I need you to promise me something."

"Of course, Maura, what's going on?"

"If you see someone who looks sick, don't go near them."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just promise me Jane. I wouldn't ask unless I meant it."

The detective's voice grew softer. "Ok, I promise. Can you please tell me what this is all about?"

Jane saying please meant she was concerned now. Maura couldn't blame her. "You said multiple gunshot wounds?"

"Yeah, all that training you gave Frost about not throwing up is out the window. I haven't seen it yet, I just got here myself. Are you sure you don't want me to come get you?"

"No, I'm fine." Maura's mind kept going back to Dr. Mastin's explanation of the disease, of the actions of his two companions. "Where are the gunshot wounds?"

"Hold on." She heard Jane shuffling the phone and speaking to Frost. After a moment her voice was strong on the line. "Several to the chest, one to the head. Frost said it looked like the guy was mince meat even before all the bullets."

"Are my techs there?" Hearing the affirmative, her decision was made. "No one goes near the body unless they're in Tybex. No one, Jane. I want everyone moved out until I get there."

"Are you crazy? Nevermind don't answer that."

"I'll be there shortly." Maura hung up without waiting for a reply, but answered Jane's question as she shoved her keys into the ignition. "Yes, I think I am."

R&I

Jane stared at her phone in mild disbelief. Now she was worried. Maura had sounded like her entire world had been yanked out from beneath her, but the detective couldn't make sense of the woman's instructions. She knew that's when she needed to follow them to the letter.

Grabbing the nearest tech, she quickly gave him Maura's instructions and he scrambled off. "Frost we have to clear this crime scene. Everyone back behind the tape."

At his confused look, she almost growled. "ME's orders, just do it."

R&I

Squealing brakes caused Jane's head to snap around and she saw Maura's Prius jerk to a stop just outside the ring of police cars that were barricading the scene. She hadn't even stopped long enough to turn off the car before she was out, almost running toward the coroner's van parked nearby.

"Maura!" The detective trotted toward her, with Frost and Korsak right behind her. "What the hell is going on? It's gunshot wounds not Mennonites."

She thought that might at least get a smile from the doctor but she looked at them grimly. "If you want to investigate that body, then you will wear the suits. No questions, no exceptions."

She disappeared into the back of the van, kicking off her shoes. Jane groaned.

R&I

Maura held up her hand when they got within a few feet of the body laying sprawled on the concrete. She could already see the gray pallor to the victim's skin, and crept closer. "Wait here."

Her voice was muffled through the mask she wore over her face, but the detective's stopped. Her eyes took in every aspect they could of the body. Gunshot wounds were obvious along the victim's chest and abdomen, and one massive wound to the head that left gray matter exposed and splattered across the concrete.

Kneeling down she carefully lifted up one of the hands, seeing evidence of flesh beneath them, before she moved a hesitant hand toward it's mouth. "Maura what the hell are you doing?"

Jane was standing a few feet away with her hands on her hips, looking ridiculous in the white suit. "Checking."

"For what?"

She ignored the question, raising the top lip. Flesh, and splattered bright red blood greeted her and she quickly moved her hands back, and stood. Glancing down the alley she saw fresh drops of blood spattered down it's path. "This body is quarantined." She raised her hands and her morgue techs immediately came forward with a body bag.

"You want to look for anyone who's been admitted for scratch and bite wounds in the last few hours. They'll need to be evaluated immediately by the CDC."

Jane came forward laying a gloved hand on her arm. "What is going on?"

"It's why I got called to Massachusetts General this morning, Jane. It's bad."

The genie truly was out of the bottle.

_"Once contracted, the disease is 100% fatal, there is no vaccine, there is no cure."_


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, second chapter! Forgot disclaimers the first time around so here it is, Don't own them, not making money. So here's your warnings for this one. This is the zombie apocalypse, there is gore and violence in this chapter, there is mention of blood and biting, and after this chapter I'm going to go ahead and switch the rating to M. Though I don't think anything is too graphic. Also there is death in this chapter. Again it's the zombie apocalypse, I may even get some hate out of it, but if you read Voices you know which characters were in it and which ones weren't, so there ya go. So with that said, Enjoy! Thank you for all the follows and favorites! Feedback is love. **

_"I repeat, the CDC has just announced that a medical alert has been issued for the entire city of Boston. A list of checkpoints and free evaluation centers has been released..."_

Jane stared at the television screen in the bullpen with what she imagined was the same look that Maura had been wearing for hours. The doctor was standing beside her looking at the same report, before she turned away. She'd heard the news hours earlier from both Maura and the brass upstairs, but now that it was public it was very real. The only problem is the public didn't hear the whole story.

She heard the doctor talking softly on her phone, and looked over at Frost and Korsak. They wore matching expressions. "This doesn't look good, Jane."

Korsak ran a hand through his gray hair, blowing out a long breath. "Thank you Susie, please prepare the body for cremation."

Maura hung up and joined them, "The victim was dead for hours before he was shot."

"If you're not going to do an autopsy how do you know that?" Frost was tapping furiously at his keyboard, but managed to look up.

"The blood in his body was congealed. It was like a gel. From what I was briefed on that is a tell tale sign." She slipped her phone into her lab coat and looked at all of them. "That means that this is not isolated anymore. At least one other person is infected. Dr. Mastin seemed rather annoyed that I have alerted him to that fact."

Korsak held up a folder. "We can't find anyone that's been admitted to local hospitals for bites or scratches."

"It makes sense. Whoever it was just shot someone." Jane shrugged.

_"We've just heard reports from our New York, Washington D.C., and Miami affiliates that similar alerts have been issued up and down the eastern seaboard."_

They all turned back to the television. The talking heads were now furiously flipping their notes, looking for an explanation that just wasn't there. Jane laid her hand on Maura's arm squeezing lighly. She felt the doctor's hand cover hers. "I need to get back down to the morgue. We're coming up with new procedures to deal with this."

Jane nodded. "I'm going to see what Ma is up too. Tommy and Lydia are still in the Gulf, she's been trying to get a hold of them."

"Let me know what's going on. Jane..." Maura paused, squeezed the hand under hers and gave her a small smile. "Be careful."

"Always Maur."

R&I

Susie was standing nervously in front of her holding out the clipboard with their John Doe's test results. She took a look at them briefly before setting it on her desk. "How are the new procedures?"

"We've gotten everyone up to speed except for the EMT's. None of them have been in this morning. I tried to text Alex but he's on call. Dr. Isles, is it true that alerts have been issued up and down the coast?

Glancing at her computer and seeing the very email alert she'd just heard about upstairs she nodded. "Yes. But we're still here to do a job, and we will do it to the best of our ability."

R&I

Angela was in her predictable hysterical state by the time Jane found her in the cafe. "Tommy said there are no flights back right now. What if he's stuck there?"

She rested her hands on her mother's shoulders. "Ma, you need to calm down. Tommy is fine."

"How do you know that?"

"Because you just talked to him. Think about it, he's probably better off where he is for now. At least until this cleared up." Angela started to calm, but Jane felt like she'd just told her mother a horrible lie.

R&I

"There haven't been any reports of further fatalities so far in Massachusetts, Dr. Isles. You're worries are unfounded."

"I've confirmed at least one Dr. Mastin, if you've bothered to look at the results of the blood tests I sent you. From that death at least one other person has been infected."

"It is has not been confirmed by us. Even if it is, the public is heeding the warnings. Our checkpoints and evaluation centers are keeping an eye on it."

"Yes, I can see overrun tents in the parking lots of shopping centers on the news." Maura glanced up at the screen she had running the local news feed. Long lines and an increasingly agitated crowd was shown clearly.

BPD had been called out to help with crowd control, and Jane had texted her several hours ago to let her know that she was part of that squad. The doctor had been agitated ever since. "With all due respect we haven't seen another case we suspect of this disease. Your job is dealing with the dead Dr. Isles, as you've stated yourself."

"From what I saw earlier this morning, I won't have long to wait."

A distinctive click answered her, and she realized that Dr. Mastin had hung up on her. "Asshole."

A soft knock on her door made her look up. Angela was looking in with a tray in her hand. "I thought you might need something to eat."

Maura smiled tiredly and motioned the woman in, standing up to meet her at the couch. "Thank you Angela, I'm starving."

She pulled off the top to see a large tray of sandwiches. "I thought everyone down here could use something."

If there was such an entity, God had blessed Angela Rizzoli. "They'll all appreciate it."

Another knock had her looking up as she took a bite of the food she was handed. "I'm sorry to interrupt Dr. Isles."

Swallowing quickly she motioned the Susie in. "It's all right. Come and get something to eat."

The young woman brightened, and quickly headed for the tray. "Everything is ready Dr. Isles."

"Good. You can start sending people to home to rest."

The door to the loading bay rattled open, causing them both to turn toward the morgue. Alex and his partner quickly game through, a black body bag on the stretcher between them. Maura motioned for Angela to stay in the office and went out to greet them. "What do we have?"

They were lifting the body bag as Alex spoke up. "Domestic. It's pretty bad, but Crowe said get 'em to the morgue."

He started on the zipper before Maura could warn him. They hadn't been told about the new procedures. "Don't open...!"

It was faster than she thought. The one case she had seen so far had been restrained. Teeth sunk into Alex's wrist. "Alex!" Susie ran past her and Maura reached out only getting a whisper of fabric before she was across the room.

The morgue tech broke free from the grip just as she reached him. The thing's arms had been jerked free by the struggle and they wasted no time reaching out for the woman. Teeth met flesh again, sinking into Susie's neck.

A high pitched scream seemed to echo off the walls and several of her staff came running for the morgue doors.

"Angela get out! Go!"

Alex's partner grabbed a handful of the thing's shirt pulling it back, and the teeth ripped free. The doors to the morgue burst open, and two of her staff were gaping at the scene. "Get Seargent Korsak now!"

The probe was in her hand and she was across the room before she realized it. It only took 15 psi to fracture the human skull, 73 newtons, but that was if you hit in exactly the right way. Maura didn't have time to calculate. With a handful of it's hair, she yanked up the head and sunk the probe through it's ear canal. But the damage was already done. Alex's partner's hands were clasping at his throat, where the corpse had been latched on.

"Dr. Isles, help me please! She's bleeding out!" Alex had as much pressure as he could against the woman's neck, but Maura knew it wasn't going to help.

"Alex, we have to get out now. She's dead."

He looked at her in disbelief and not a little anger. She began to move forward to at least try something when a low moan rose from the floor and she looked back to see white eyes, and reaching gore-covered hands. It was just close enough to trip her up as she tried to back away, sending her cracking into the tile floor, for a moment stunned. A small shriek left her lips when she felt those fingers grabbing for the leg of her scrubs, and she kicked out hard.

On the exam table Susie's arms reached up and wrapped around Alex, pulling him down into waiting teeth. His feet flew up sending a rolling tray and it's contents skittering along the floor. Maura's foot kicked out again, connecting solidly with the thing's nose, rocking it's head back. She scooted herself along the floor, her hand coming in contact with metal. Grabbing it without looking she pushed herself up, heading for her office door. The dead was right behind her, reaching out again.

She grabbed the back of her torture chair, flinging it at the thing's legs, tripping it up. A lucky, clumsy grab upset her balance, and they both went to the floor again. Fingers were tangled in the fabric of her scrubs this time, and it was pulling itself over the chair to get to her. Maura's arm swung forward, the bone saw gripped in her hand connecting solidly with the thing's wrist. She'd always taken excellent care of the instruments in the morgue and her meticulous routines saved her life.

The grip loosened as the blade went through clean, and again she pushed herself up running for the outer door of her office. She slammed into the stairwell, only to collide with another body making it's way down. Hands grabbed her and she stuggled to get away before the voice broke through the adrenaline. "Dr. Isles! Are you all right?!"

Korsak held her at arms length trying to get a good look at her. He could almost see the awareness snap back into her eyes instead of the wild panic from just seconds before. "Block those doors! The morgue is quarantined as of now, nothing gets in, nothing gets out."

The Sergeant motioned to the uniforms with him and they took up position beside the door. "Radio for someone to shut down the elevators, and get some uniforms on all the other entrances, including the loading bay." Korsak gave the orders as he started to lead her up the stairs. Maura stopped and turned to look at the men.

"If anyone...anything tries to get out, aim for the head. Don't hesitate."

**A/N: Next chapter, we'll get to see Jane's first encounter with the newly risen, and after that we're going to skip ahead. At least a couple of months.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3! Hope you enjoy!**

Over the last hour the crowd had tripled. News that signs of the illness were now showing up in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Norfolk seemed to create a new buzz of tension that just wasn't there before. Jane stood behind the orange barriers watching warily as the people filed past slowly. Up and down the line she could see uniforms and plain clothes cops alike keeping a close eye on the crowd. So far so good. The National Guard was on it's way to take over the babysitting duties, and Jane couldn't be more thankful.

She glanced up to see Frankie and Duncan headed her way. "Jane. People at the back of the line are starting to get antsy. Some guy was back there hacking his brains out."

They started moving in that direction and Jane turned slightly to her brother. "What about the other stuff, grayish skin, bloodshot eyes?"

Frankie shrugged. "Looked like he had a cold. He's walking on his own too. Didn't Maura say they would have trouble if they'd reached that stage?"

"Yeah. Has anyone checked this guy out?"

"These guys are overwhelmed. There just aren't enough volunteers." A scream cut off anything else he might have to say. Jane looked up toward the center of crowd. A wide circle was being formed in the middle of the mob as people started trying to back away.

More screams and a wave of panic swept over the crowd, causing a surge of bodies to bolt in whatever direction they could. The barriers started to fall as people charged through. A Lieutenant stood on top of a police car, megaphone to his mouth urging the crowd to remain calm. He was largely ignored. Jane grabbed at Frankie's arm and charged through the crowd, toward the commotion.

Bodies crashed into her, and she could barely keep her feet when she felt Frankie's hands at her belt keeping her upright. Shoving hard against the people in front of her she was finally able to break into a spot remarkably free of the mob. What she saw there caused bile to rise in her throat. Several bodies were laying in pools of blood and gore, a woman had a man pinned to the ground biting large chunks out of his shoulder and neck.

A 20-something in a BCU college T-shirt was filming the whole thing on his phone only to start screaming as one of the newer infected grabbed a handful and pulled him down. Jane ripped her nightstick out of her belt and ran foward, drawing her arm back and swinging as hard as she could at the woman, knowing it was already too late for her victim. The thing rolled off landing face first on the asphault, before it slowly started moving again. They were under strict orders. No guns unless things got out of control, but she knew things had been out of control the moment they found that body in the alley.

People were still all around them, some too scared to move, were staring at the chaos in shock. Others rushed forward to help those already on the ground. "No back! Get back!" Frankie ran past her motioning anyone left in the area back. Duncan was yelling into his radio for back up, never noticing that two of the victims had already started getting back to their feet.

Jane swung again at the woman as she reached out, feeling a crunch and a shockwave up her arm when she went down and stayed down. Several uniforms had begun to push their way through the crowd. Duncan yelled out as the newly risen wrapped their arms around him and started to bite. Frankie and Jane ran for him, only to find themselves nearly surrounded as more bodies started to stand.

They readjusted to stand back to back. "Jane."

"I know Frankie. Your gun."

Jane swung hard at the zombie closest to her, but unable to get any of the leverage she had before she only managed to knock it back a few steps. Several shots rang out, and Duncan pushed one of the now limp bodies off, reaching frantically for the other that was chewing on his arm. Pulling her own gun she fired almost point blank into approaching corpse, shattering it's skull.

Frankie's gun fired at her back, "We've got to get out of here."

Grabbing the neck of her brother's shirt she pulled, heading for the line of uniforms that was just now finding clear ground. They ran past Duncan, who was pistol whipping his remaining attacker. Blood was flowing from his missing earlobe and Jane could see several severe wounds on his arms. She knew he wouldn't make it to sunrise, and a part of her mourned that loss. They were going to lose more, it was a forgone fact now.

The unis were now aiming at the remaining zombies, taking orders from the Lieutenant with the megaphone, still on the roof of his cruiser. What was left of the crowd was still trying to scatter, now being rounded up by the newly arrived National Guard, and filtered behind a line of green trucks. Several armed soilders went by, semi automatic rifles aimed at the small but formidble group of reanimates that now occupied the parking lot.

An unmarked pulled to screeching stop and Cavanaugh jumped out, with Crowe behind him. "Rizzoli!"

Crowe pushed past her with a scowl, connecting solidly with her shoulder. "Get out of my way."

Cavanaugh stopped in front of them, and Jane frowned. "Sir, what are you doing here?"

"The National Guard is taking over here, we're being ordered to close ranks into the city." He pressed the keys into her hands. "Triage centers are being set up now. The treatment center in Revere was overrun 45 minutes ago."

He glanced up as gunfire erupted across the parking lot. Shambling bodies started to fall. "The morgue has been quarantined."

Jane felt ice water run through her veins. Cavanaugh saw her alarm and held up his hands. "Dr. Isles managed to escape, but several of her staff weren't so lucky. Get back there. SWAT is clearing it out. HQ is being set up as communications and rescue center."

She grabbed Frankie and headed for the unmarked, stopping short. "What about you?"

He pointed at the Lieutenant still on his roof. "I getting Patton there under control and we're going to try to set up a line of defense. The CDC seems to think it's too late for quarantine."

Slamming the keys into the ignition Jane wished him good luck, then sped off with Frankie in tow.

R&I

Maura was in a corner of the Cafe with Angela hovering over her. The older woman was restraining herself from just grabbing hold of the doctor and not letting go. She knew Maura didn't like that and she was now speaking quickly into the phone jammed against her ear. "This is out of control Dr. Mastin."

She listened quietly to the other side of the conversation, her fingers tapping uncharacteristically against the table top in front of her. "Dr. Isles, the National Guard is now taking control of security at all the treatment centers. I'm sorry to hear about your incident but it is isolated."

Maura looked up at the absolute chaos on screen in Revere. "The evidence is against your argument."

She was met with silence. If she didn't know better she was sure she could feel the rage coming through the phone. "Doctor, after this incident is over I will be happy to discuss your issues. I understand your position in this state, but at this time I have more pressing concerns."

The bastard hung up on her again. She momentarily gripped the phone, thinking of throwing it across the room, before she remember that it was Frost's. She looked up and saw the man watching her carefully.

The incident in the morgue, and right now if she thought of it as anything more than that she would be in a ball of tears on the floor, had left her shaken. The bone saw was sitting in front of her on the table, and she wouldn't let anyone touch it. Angela had fled as soon as she'd yelled out a warning, finding Korsak, and sending help. She was shocked to find out that the whole thing had taken a little less than five minutes to play out. SWAT had cleared out the morgue just as quickly, but she'd been forbidden by both Korsak, and Cavanaugh from re-entering her workspace.

"You're sure they weren't there?" Angela's voice was raspy and full of fear as she alternated between the television and Maura, finally letting her hand rest on the blonde's back.

Frost's voice answered reassuringly. "No, they were sent to Cambridge. The National Guard is on their way there. I'm sure Ms. Rizzoli."

Maura knew that Jane wasn't in Revere, but Frost's words were a relief. She wanted Jane with her. Needed it. Her hands were still shaking, and she was keeping a tight control on her emotions. "You people act like you've never seen a little civil unrest before! Calm down."

Crowe pushed his way through the crowds of people in the lobby, making his way into the cafe with his partner. Maura's vision went red. "Hey Doc, why aren't you working on my domestic?"

The doctor stood, striding right up to the man. The crack as her hand made contact with his face echoed through the room and everyone stopped. "Three people are dead because you ignored protocol."

The detective was momentarily stunned, then anger flashed in his eyes and he started forward. Frost jumped up, grabbing his shirt and pushing him back. "Back off Crowe. You deserved that."

His finger jabbed out, "You don't lay hands on me, you..."

"Crowe!" Cavanaugh was glaring at him from the doorway. "Get your ass outside now! We'll discuss this on the way."

"Sir, I want to file a complaint."

"Shut up before I bust you down to cadet!" The man's fury was evident but he followed the order, leaving quickly.

Angela's hands were on Maura's shoulders, pulling her back. "Maura, sweetie sit down."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." Her hands, if possible, shook harder.

"He deserved that." Frost was in front of her, making her look at him.

"He deserved a foot up his ass." Frost's eyebrow's rose, and Maura came out her momentary shock to turn and stare at Angela. "What? I'm just telling the truth."

R&I

The news of Cambridge was just hitting the news as Jane hit the brakes in front of Division One. Frankie's hand was shoved into the roof and his foot was against the dashboard as the car slid to a stop, and he looked at his sister with a new found respect. With sirens and lights they'd made the trip in 15 minutes, and he was sure that was some kind of new record. Unbuckling his seat belt he hurried after Jane as she darted up the stairs in front of the building.

The lobby was crowded and Jane was pushing her way through with barely there apologies, heading for the Cafe. The television was turned up to it's highest volume and they could hear it clearly as they got close. _"An incident at the Cambridge treatment center has left several civilians and at least one police officer dead. The information we're getting at this time is limited but we do know the National Guard has now taken control of the situation."_

Jane stopped in the doorway quickly finding a very pale Maura staring at the screen, along with her mother and Frost. "Maura!"

Hazel eyes snapped in her direction making contact immediately, and the doctor was moving forward. Her hands grabbed at the woman pulling her close. She felt Maura's tight grip around her waist and finally let herself breathe. "Are you all right?"

Maura nodded into her neck. "Susie didn't get out."

"Oh God Maura, I'm sorry." She turned her head and kissed Maura's temple, squeezing her tighter.

Angela appeared at her side, wrapping her arms around both of them. For once she didn't say anything. Slowly, Jane extracted herself from both of them managing to keep her hand on Maura's arm, wanting her close. Frost and Frankie were standing close by.

_"Reports are coming in of riots in Portland, Bangor, and Syracuse as the crisis spreads. At this hour police and government officials are asking the public to remain calm and stay tuned to television and radio for further information."_


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry it's taken so long! Real life kind of exploded on me here recently. So here's an update, and like I said it jumps ahead. I think this is more of a filler to give some background on where they are now. Thank you all for the reviews and follows. They're awesome.**

They'd been in an abandoned apartment for three days now. The Rise and Shine convenience store downstairs had been their target hoping for some supplies. Maura's eyes ran over the two milk crates of canned food and cellophane wrapped desert snacks. The combined shelf life of a million years had been their solution to starvation. It wasn't healthy but it kept them moving and for now that was the important thing. She couldn't help but mourn the fact it was not a six course meal from Maison de la Mer, but a can of Cream of Mushroom soup wasn't something she could afford to waste.

"You should try to rest."

Her attention went back to Jane, who was now looking up at her from the floor. Reluctantly she let her fingers slip from the curly hair and nodded. "I just got off watch. There's a storm coming."

Frowning slightly when Maura moved her hand, Jane went to sit up. "They'll be restless tonight."

Storms always did that. It was the one sound they couldn't eventually find. "Frost is watching the stairwell. Frankie and Crowe took over the roof."

Jane scowled. "Maybe he'll get struck by lightning."

Leaning her head back against the wall, Maura rolled her eyes in her direction. "If he does, Frankie most likely will as well."

"Dammit."

Maura huffed, and closed her eyes. "I know the man is an asshole Jane, but we've at least got to tolerate him."

Jane smiled and bumped her shoulder. "Your Irish is coming out."

"Well I'm too tired to keep it in."

Wrapping a hand around Maura's arm, she tugged lightly. "Let's get some sleep then. I've got the last shift, and you've been awake since before dawn."

Everyone else in the room was asleep. Even Korsak, who'd shared her watch, was now snoring lightly, propped up against his bag. She let herself be pulled into the sleeping bag nest Jane had been laying on. Thunder rumbled again, and the answering moans seemed to be a bit farther away.

Maura relaxed into the duffle bag she was using as a pillow, scooting a little closer to the woman behind her. Jane's arm wrapped around her squeezing lightly. "They'll move off for a while."

The blonde nodded and let her eyes slip closed. "Tomorrow we'll have to check the rest of the block."

A long finger tapped at her skull. "No more thinking."

R&I

Jane stared down the street from her spot on the roof, looking for signs of the undead. It was clear for now. Last night's storm had sent them in all directions. Frankie appeared at her side, "We've got to move. We need to check the rest of this area for anything useful and get out. It's time to start out of the city."

Her brother nodded. "What do we do when we get out of the city? I mean I agree with you but none of us are outdoorsmen Jane. Are we just going to go native in western Mass?"

"I don't know Frankie. Every day we stay here it gets more dangerous. Those things are everywhere, and we haven't heard from anyone in a month. Even the National Guard is silent. I don' t think there's anything left."

Frankie looked out over the buildings, his dark eyes flicking across the landscape. "I'll get Ma started on supplies"

"We need to take a group out, there's a mechanic down the block and a hardware store."

Frankie waved as he headed for the roof door and disappeared. The woman took a moment to stare back out over what she could see of the city. Smoke was still swirling between the buildings from fires that had been left unchecked. From the direction it looked like most of Somerville had been on fire at one point, but the constant rain of the last two weeks seemed to be putting them out.

They'd been running for almost a month. BPD Headquarters had become a last ditch effort to get people to safety, or at least get them off the streets and it had fallen hard. Of the 150 that had taken shelter in the building, maybe 20 had made it out. Five of them had died since then. Maura told her that it was statistically possible that there were others, using different exits and escaping on foot, but Jane wasn't so sure. Most of them were injured in some way. It had only taken one concealed bite to seal their fate.

In one week Boston had gone from your average American city, to a swirling mass of chaos and destruction. Looting was rampant, people taking whatever they could get their hands on before jumping into their high priced SUV's and trying to get out. The interstates were parking lots, and it hadn't taken long before the swarms had found their way there. That had been a massacre.

Dr. Mastin had evacuated himself and his staff within a few days of the first outbreak. Maura had gotten a hold of him first though. He'd come with the final truck of supplies they were going to get, strolling through BPD like some head of state touring a battlefield hospital.

_"Dr. Isles you're doing a wonderful job here. I know the living isn't your field." Maura looked up from the wound she was treating. A long row of cots had been set up in homicide's bullpen. Wounded had been coming in all day. _

_"I'm still a medical professional, __**Doctor Mastin."**__ He winced slightly before the disinterested look took over his face again. _

_"Yes, we are all aware of that." _

_"What I'm aware of is a situation that is now out of control. None of the supplies and manpower you guaranteed has arrived. In fact not one of my assistants have received anything you've promised. As of now I've lost contact with two of their offices."_

_"I'm sorry to hear that. I'll look into it right away. We have however arrived with the supplies promised. You'll find the truck in your parking garage." His face was smug. "As for the offices you've lost contact with if they'd followed procedures..."_

_Maura's fist connected with his face, and he staggered back into the two suits that had followed him into the building. Jane and Frost both jumped up from where they'd been pressed into nurse duty and hurried over. "I'm tired of procedures that don't work. People are dying. This is not some experiment, it's not a petri dish you can discard of when you're done."_

_Mastin spat blood and one of his front teeth onto the floor. "I want that woman arrested for assault!" He pointed bloody fingers in her direction. _

_Jane came up beside the doctor. "Sure. Maura you're under arrest." The detective paused, watching Maura shake out her hand. "Unless you promise not to do it again."_

_Hazel eyes narrowed at her, "Fine, I promise not to do it again."_

_"What kind of police officer are you? No wonder this city is in chaos." Mastin backed away when Jane's eyes found him. _

_"The holding cells are full because people are coming here for safety, and quite frankly without Maura this place would be worse than it is."_

Jane grinned out at the street. Dr. Mastin was on a plane out of the city the next day, claiming meetings with the President and his staff, but she doubted that. Reports were coming in from all over the country of the outbreak spreading, and that New York and Miami had been evacuated by emergency government personnel as well. Rumors were flying that the President had been moved to an undisclosed location.

They'd lost TV within a week of that. Radio not long after. Phone, and cell lines were clogged and at best before they were gone as well the only thing you might get through was a text. That was the last thing they'd heard from Tommy. A short text. **"Evacuating by boat. It's bad here."**

Jane shook her head, trying not to think about her little brother and his family. She got Carlson's attention from his spot on top of the air conditioning unit. "Come on. Let's get this done."

R&I

Maura's eyes cracked open to the sound of movement in the room and she looked over to see Angela going through the milkcrates of food. The only other occupant was Korsak, who was still snoring lightly against his bag in the corner. She stretched, working the muscles that had grown stiff from laying on the floor. Even with the sleeping bags it was hard to find a comfortable spot to sleep these days.

Scooting back against the wall she noticed a small white carton with two beef jerky sticks leaning against it. Looking at it closer she saw Jane's handwriting on the side of the carton in marker. "Eat. It's as close to surf and turf as I could find."

Goldfish and beef jerky weren't even close to surf and turf, but her stomach growled letting her know that it must be fed. She opened the carton and shook a handful of the little orange crackers into her palm. She'd never been overly fond of Goldfish, or beef jerky for that matter but just like a soft bed, food was getting harder and hard to come by.

A water bottle appeared in her face and she looked up to see Angela smiling down at her. "Here sweetie, those things are hard enough to eat without something to choke them down with."

Accepting the bottle, Maura waited for the older woman to settle down beside her. "How long have you been up?"

The woman nodded at the windows, "Since dawn. I never was a late sleeper. I'm just going through what we've gotten from downstairs so far. I think we're going to try to move today."

Maura nodded and shook out some more crackers. Angela looked at them for a moment, then stared at the far wall. The doctor knew what she was thinking about. TJ had just started getting his teeth, and the little crackers were one of his favorites. She ate the handful quickly, then set the container aside, opting for the beef jerky. She'd been in contact with her own mother only once. The international lines had gone down quickly, and the internet had been spotty at best. Constance had relayed that her father was still in Africa, and that she was going to be heading to an evacuation center in Paris.

She'd claimed the outbreak wasn't as bad in Europe. That it was a precaution for the safety of the public, but Maura could hear sirens faintly in the background, leaking through the walls of her mother's apartment. The line had gone dead not long after that. But she'd shed her tears for that, huddled in the stairwell at BPD until Jane had found her, wrapping her up in long arms.

"How does it look?"

Angela shook herself from whatever thoughts had taken over. "The crates are full, and there's more down there. I was just about to go find some boxes." Maura nodded, finished the stick of beef jerky in her hand and shoved the rest into her bag.

"I'll help. Once I get this nest of Jane's sorted out." The doctor motioned to the mess of sleeping bags they were sitting on.

The older woman snorted, lifting herself off the floor with a groan. "It's always looked like an explosion hit her bedroom in the mornings."

Maura allowed herself a little laugh as she began rolling the bags, and Angela went to shake Korsak awake. She didn't know what they would find, but they had to move. In this situation it was the only way to stay alive.


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay so last night's episode demanded it :) Also there's a bit of bad language. **

Frankie led his small group through the glass doors of the hardware store while Jane watched from across the street. She waited for several seconds, hearing nothing from it's interior before waving her arm to the three with her. Carlson followed close behind, glancing down alleys as they made their way toward the mechanic at the end of the street. Dana Cole, a patrol officer who had watched her beat devour itself, before retreating to HQ, and Crowe rounded out the little band of looters.

'Well,' Jane amended her thoughts, 'it's not looting is it?'

No, not anymore. Looting had simply become surviving a few weeks ago. Besides they had no need for flat screens and luxury goods that was the usual target of looters. Food, water, clothes, tools, spare parts, they were always on the look out for those. She stopped in front of the side door to a mechanics shop, looking back at her companions and holding a finger to her lips. Reaching out, she grabbed the doorknob and twisted, only to be met with resistance. Locked.

Silently motioning Crowe forward, she scanned the street as he knelt in front of the lock. The man may be an asshole but he could pick a lock faster than the rest of them. If he couldn't get it open they'd have to go through the bay doors and that meant too much noise. They'd learned the hard way that staying quiet could mean the difference between life and undeath. Behind her the door opened on squeaky hinges and they all raised their guns.

Jane inched forward and pushed the door open a little more. Her nose wrinkled at the smell of grease and oil, but there was no movement inside. Motioning the others in, she unclipped a flashlight from her belt shining the weak light along the counter and the storage racks behind it. "Ok, you know what we need, lets make it quick."

They spread out down the aisles, each one carrying a heavy canvas bag. Filters, spark plugs, belts, Korsak had told them that any repair needed on the vehicles could mean bad news, and had suggested they find at least a few of the items for basic repairs. Maura had backed him up on the idea and since she was probably the only other one that knew anything about how to repair an engine, Jane had just gone with it.

She set the heavy bag on the counter, moving her flashlight around the room again. The door to the repair bays was closed and she had no desire to open it, but aside from the cracked linoleum there wasn't much to look at. Cole came up beside her holding up an orange bottle. "Look at this stuff. Doesn't even need water." Jane glanced at the label on the hand soap and tapped the bottle.

"If they've got more, grab it. Good find." The woman nodded, and trotted back down the racks. Maura would be so proud.

The faint sound of metal hitting concrete caused her to straighten up and draw her weapon. Crowe dropped his own bag and moved closer to the bay door. "Crowe, don't open that door."

R&I

Maura and Angela moved through the aisles at the Rise and Shine pulling cans off the shelves, and arranging them in several more milk crates they'd found in the storage room. Several others in their group were moving silently in and out the front doors, loading everything they'd managed to find into the Red Cross truck. She looked up as Frost set a shotgun down near the cash register and raised her eyebrows at him. He shrugged. "Found it behind the counter."

She chuckled then started down another aisle, finding the pharmacy. Or at least the convenience store version of it. Bandaids, gauze, tape, antiseptic, and hand sanitizer all found their way into the crate she'd dropped at her feet. She glanced at the other items in aisle, finding hair products, soap, and cheap nail polish. Her eyes stopped on the travel manicure kit on a low shelf, and she grabbed it quickly, shoving it into the box. Creature comforts, even one that simple, was enough to make her smile a bit.

Nevermind the sure teasing she'd get from Jane when she ultimately found it. Bottles of shampoo and body wash also joined her haul. Hygeine was just as important now as food and water. One infected cut, one dirty hand used to handle food, and it could mean disaster. She'd gotten strange looks when she'd stressed the importance that they stay as clean as they could, until she'd started describing the side effects of illness borne from filth.

She could hear Angela's voice speaking lowly to Frost in the next aisle as she made her way to her own bags leaning against a dark ice cream freezer. Glancing inside the glass top she grimaced at the melted contents. The containers were starting to buckle, leaking sticky liquid at the seams. Maura shook her head, then knelt by her bags pulling the first aid kit closer.

Her hands went about the task of reorganizing the kit as she listened to the low conversations around her. She was just fitting the last of the personal items she gotten for herself into her bag when Frankie came in carrying one of the heavy black canvas bags. He handed it off to one of the officers loading the truck then headed for her. "Hey, we found a bunch of tool kits, tape, you know. Picked up a few crowbars."

Maura nodded. "Have you seen Jane? She was headed to the mechanics."

Frankie shook his head. "It's all quiet that way though. I'm sure they're fine."

She raised an eyebrow at him, and he grinned. "All right. I'll check in with Ma, then head that way."

"Thank you, Frankie."

R&I

"Calm down Rizzoli, it's probably nothing. This place is locked up tight."

Jane picked up her bag and moved around the counter. "Leave it alone Crowe, let's just get out of here."

Carlson and Cole came up behind her, and she motioned them toward the door. "Fuck off. I don't take orders from you."

Jane glared at him, but decided knocking his teeth out could wait. "You're wasting our time. There's nothing in there we need."

"Why don't you run on back to Dr. Death, Rizzoli? Let the real men handle things." He turned the knob and shoved open the door, his eyes growing wide as rotting hands grabbed at his shirt.

"Crowe!" Jane started forward, watching as the man was dragged down by dozens of arms, and he started to scream. Those undead that weren't occupied with Crowe's weakening struggles turned to her and started to pour out of the repair bay.

R&I

Maura loaded the bags into the trunk of the unmarked and looked back down the street. Everything was still quiet but even that was starting to make her nervous. Frankie had disappeared toward the mechanic's only a few minutes ago, but there was a twisting in her gut that wouldn't leave her alone. The doctor watched a BPD sniper climb into the back of the Red Cross truck and set up a watch in the other direction. They were getting ready to move out.

She headed back toward the store, pausing as Angela came out carrying one of the last crates, her own bag thrown over her shoulder. "Something wrong sweetie?"

"No, I was just going to find Korsak and Frost."

Angela nodded back toward the building. "On their way out. For once we've got all we can carry."

Maura could just see the two men coming out the doors when she heard running feet headed their way. Carlson and Cole came trotting up, and the doctor headed toward them. "Where are Jane and Frankie?"

Cole stopped to catch her breath. "Crowe was acting like an ass. Jane sent us back. We passed Frankie on the way, he said he'd get them moving."

Maura's eyes roamed the street behind them. "I think we should go after..." The words died on her lips as she saw the first zombie stagger off a side street.

Another one followed soon after. She took a step back, hearing the others start to scramble behind her. There was a tug on her arm, and she turned to see Frost standing there. "We've got to go."

Four more were now moving through the cars. "She's down there."

The grip on her arm tightened, "Maura, we can't."

"I know Frost." Her voice shook, and he could see the realization pass across her face. He tugged again.

She slowly followed, glancing back to see the six that had been coming were now twenty. They reached the unmarked just as Korsak pushed a protesting Angela into the back seat. Maura's stopped next to the cruiser, staring back at the mob that was quickly filling the street. "Run Jane."


End file.
